


Something Real

by magnetgirl



Category: Leverage
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Humor, The Brew Pub, We provide Leverage and also Thief Juice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetgirl/pseuds/magnetgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Brew Pub doesn't advertise so Hardison invites NPR foodies to give them a go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Real

**Author's Note:**

  * For [weaselett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/weaselett/gifts).



“Don’t tell Nate.”

Amy wrote Hardison’s instructions into her notebook. It was barely nine AM, the pub was closed and empty except for the two of them. Chairs up on tables because the floor had been cleaned during the night. Hardison was taking this very seriously. He’d submitted The Brew Pub to NPR’s local foodie series weeks ago. Months. But they hadn’t gotten the call until yesterday afternoon -- and now, they’d arrive in four and a half hours. Hardison wanted it to be perfect, which is why he involved Amy, proven to be the restaurant’s secret weapon more than once. Also why --

“And don’t tell Sophie. She’d tell Nate. And she’d try to hijack the story to talk up her theater.”

Amy looked up from her scribbling. “That might be a nice human interest angle,” she suggested. Amy had seen her father give enough interviews to know what works in their favor. She’d _been_ the human interest angle more times than she could count.

“Maybe…” Hardison considered, “But she’d tell Nate.” And Nate would shut it down. He hated publicity, unless he controlled it. Hardison wanted to build something. Something in the ‘real’ world. Something that couldn’t be deleted.

“You’re the boss.” Amy cocked her head. “What about--”

“Yeah, don’t tell them, either.” Hardison hated keeping anything from Parker, and Eliot, too, but. “It’ll be a surprise.”

Amy smiled. “Okay, I have the list. I’ll go get the flowers and we can set up? Kitchen’ll be in at eleven.” A half hour before open. Hardison nodded. Amy hopped off her stool and headed to the door. “It’ll be fine,” she assured her boss-friend-mentor-whatever. “Great, even.”

“Great,” Hardison repeated, but his stomach twisted. If there was one thing he learned from his years with the team it was: nothing ever goes to plan.

* * *

“They’re late.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Four minutes.” Hardison was more nervous than she’d ever seen him. Parker could be jumpy but Alec? Normally he was as laid back as people get. Right now…

“Four minutes _late_.” He glanced at the clock. “ _Six_ minutes late.”

“Six minutes late for what?”

Amy jumped at the voice -- Parker’s -- that came out of actually nowhere. How does she do that?

Hardison blinked. “Uh. Hey, babe.”

“Hey yourself,” answered Eliot, appearing beside Parker. Hardison blinked.

“Six minutes late for what?” Parker repeated.

“We’re expecting some special guests,” Amy explained.

Eliot scrunched his nose. “Guests?”

“Customers,” clarified Amy.

“What kind of--” But Eliot’s inquiry was interrupted by the arrival of four people: the two radio hosts, their engineer. . .

“Actually, I eat here almost every day.”

And Nate.

Hardison blinked.

Amy blinked.

Eliot’s eyes narrowed.

Parker popped a carrot into her mouth.

“Really,” said the woman radio host, Grace. “That good?”

“That convenient.” Nate smiled. “I live here.”

“In the bar?”

“Above the bar.”

“Ah.” Grace waited but Nate offered no more explanation.

Grace blinked.

Hardison blinked.

Amy blinked.

Eliot glared.

Nate popped a carrot into his mouth.

“We all do,” said Parker. “Except Amy.”

Grace frowned in confusion. “Who’s Amy?”

“I’m Amy,” said Amy, and extended her hand with a big grin. “Welcome to the Brew Pub.”

Grace shook her hand. “Thank you.”

Amy elbowed Hardison as surreptitiously as she could. “Ow! Oh. Uh. Ha.” He extended his hand, too, with as big a grin as he could muster (Amy was better at it). “I’m Hardison. Alec. Alec Hardison. Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting us, Mr. Hardison.” Grace shook his hand. “This is my cohost, Joe.” Joe waved. “And our engineer, Bonnie.” Alec and Amy shook hands with Joe and Bonnie while Eliot mouthed ‘What’s going on?’ behind the trio from NPR. “Where should we set up?”

“Uh.”

Amy gestured toward the booth they’d set up. “I’ll show you.”

“Thank you.”

As Amy led their guests away, the others closed in on Hardison. “I’ll be right there!” he yelped after the radio group before turning to his friends. “So.”

“So,” said Nate.

“So, we’re going to interviewed for _Good Eating With Grace_!” Hardison performed jazz hands. “Surprise!”

“Dammit Hardison!” Eliot swatted at Alec’s hands. “We’re not ready.”

The door swung open and Sophie breezed in. “Sorry I’m late, Bill had a bit of a breakthrough at today’s lesson. Live theater is so thrilling!” She took in the scene. “What’d I miss?”

Eliot pointed at Alec. “Hardison got us set up on a radio talk show while I’m still fiddling with the menu--”

“Aight, Eliot, but you said yourself a chef is always changing things up and --”

“And Amy’s redesign of the logo--”

“--is all set! Picked up a new book this morning, its debut is part of the--”

“We haven’t finalized--”

“It’s a process and I’m proud of where we are and I think--”

“ _I_ think,” interjected Nate, “We all should have been consulted about being on the radio before they showed up in our pub with recording devices.”

Eliot pointed between Nate and Hardison, nodding. “That, too.”

Sophie pursed her lips. “Is that all?”

“Amy might move in with us,” added Parker, crunching another carrot. The others glanced at her. “These are good.”

Eliot wagged his finger with irritation. “I need to get to the kitchen.”

Hardison breathed a sigh of relief -- Eliot may be angry, but he’d also work three times as hard for them. “And I need to get to the table.” Amy was a gem, and he saw her chattering away out of the corner of his eye, but he was the manager. And he’s already screwed up his introduction. Parker leaned over and kissed his cheek before bouncing off to the kitchen after Eliot. Hardison smiled and started to walk toward Amy, Grace, and her crew.

Nate and Sophie fell in step beside him.

Hardison stopped.

Nate and Sophie stopped.

Hardison sighed. “Really?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Nate.

“Do you think they review theater groups?” mused Sophie.

Hardison sighed again, and gestured them to go on ahead.

* * *

_“--it’s not exactly off the beaten path but it’s also, I don’t know, do you know?”_

Hardison hit the spacebar as Amy returned with another round of drinks. The team were huddled around his laptop to listen to the podcast.

“I told you it was good,” Amy said as she set down the drinks.

“A lot of it thanks to you,” Sophie responded, raising her glass to the girl.

Amy smiled. “This place is worth the effort.” She hugged the now empty platter to her chest. “Wouldn’t say no to a raise though.” Amy didn’t need the job for rent or food, her family’s wealth took care of most expenses -- but anything art related she had to do herself.

“I think we can make something happen,” Nate answered. “Now go get yourself a glass, it’s almost time to toast.” Hardison started the program back up as Amy headed to the bar.

_“No, I don’t know.” Grace’s voice answered Joe’s question._

_“Well, what I’m trying to say is, I worry about a place like that -- no ad budget, depending on word of mouth, owners don’t even want their names out there, really, you know, I worry people won’t find it.”_

_Grace laughed. “That’s what she said.”_

_“What?”_

_There was a pause and then Amy’s voice filled the air. “We’re small and you’re never gonna see a bus with our name on it. But we care about our customers. And the staff, we’re like a family, you know? A weird, part artsy, part techie, part foodie, little family. So that’s what we do. We do our best and we depend on a good reputation still meaning something.”_

_“Well, I don’t know about that, Grace, I don’t know how successful that is as a business model… but I like it.”_

_“I do, too, Joe. Plus the chili is the best I ever had. The Brew Pub is located--”_

Hardison switched off the program, and raised a glass. Parker, Eliot, Nate, Sophie, and Amy, returned with a glass of her own. “To family.”

Five voices answered him in chorus. “To family.” They clinked glasses.

  
Amy stood. “I’ll get us some dessert.” 

"I'll help," offered Eliot.

“Me too,” said Parker. "I want more carrots." 

Hardison pulled up the transcript of the program, with the official ranking of the restaurant. “Well, will you look at that.”

“Hm?”

Hardison turned the laptop around so Nate and Sophie could read it. “We stole a four star review."

Nate shook his head. “No. You earned it.”


End file.
